THE 


LATEST  PHASE 


OF  THE 


IMPORTANT  REFORMS  DECREED  AND  PUT  INTO 
OPERATION— LARGE  MAJORITY  OF  MISSION¬ 
ARIES  UPHOLD  CONGO  GOVERNMENT- 
PUBLIC  SENTIMENT  IN  BELGIUM 
APPROVES  KING  LEOPOLD’S 
AFRICAN  POLICY. 


STORIES  OF  “ATROCITIES”  DENIED  BY  PROMINENT 
MISSIONARIES  WHO  HAVE  SPENT  YEARS 
IN  THE  CONGO  FREE  STATE. 


BALTIMORE: 

The  Sun  Book  and  Job  Printing  Office. 


Pages. 

The  Congo  Question  Up  to  Date . 3-9 

♦ 

Pp.oofs  a.no  Documents, . 10-30 


The  Latest  Phase  of  the  Congo  Question 


IMPORTANT  REFORMS  DECREED  AND  PUT  INTO  OPERATION. 

The  Congo  question  has  entered  upon  a  new  phase.  The  con¬ 
ditions  prevailing  in  the  Free  State  have  been  investigated  by  a 
commission  whose  honesty  and  integrity  have  been  acknowl¬ 
edged  even  by  the  bitterest  enemies  of  the  Congo  Government. 

The  opinion  of  the  Commissioners  was : 

1.  That  the  charges  against  the  Congo  Administration  had 
been  greatly  exaggerated. 

2.  That  in  certain  instances  the  Congo  Government  had  been 
guilty  of  negligence,  but  that,  taking  it  all  in  all,  the  administra¬ 
tion  compared  favorably  with  the  government  of  the  colonies  of 
other  powers  in  Africa. 

3.  That  a  number  of  administrative  reforms  should  be  put  in 
operation  as  soon  as  possible — especially  that  the  labor-tax  should 
be  more  strictly  supervised  and  equitably  levied  and  that  the  use 
of  “capitas”  (armed  native  overseers)  should  be  prohibited  to 
concessionary  companies.  These  were  the  two  defects  in  the 
Congo  Administration  which  had  given  rise  to  most  of  the  criti¬ 
cisms  against  the  Government. 

On  the  3rd  of  June,  1906,  King  Leopold  issued  twenty-five 
Decrees  carrying  out  the  recommendations  of  the  Commission  of 
Inquiry. 

These  Decrees  cover  all  the  points  on  which  the  Administra¬ 
tion  has  been  criticized.  They  provide,  among  other  things,  for 
the  extension  of  the  judicial  system,  for  additional  grants  of  land 
to  natives;  above  all  they  regulate  the  labor-tax  and  abolish  the 
use  of  capitas  or  armed  native  sentries. 

It  is  a  large  undertaking  to  put  these  reforms  into  operation 
throughout  the  whole  territory  of  the  Congo,  which  occupies  an 
area  about  one-third  the  size  of  the  United  States.  Neverthe¬ 
less  the  work  has  been  pushed  forward  rapidly.  Instructions  in 


4 


regard  to  disarming  the  native  sentries  were  issued  by  the  Vice- 
Governor-General  on  August  3rd.  The  instructions  in  regard 
to  the  labor-tax  appeared  under  date  of  September  8th.  Here¬ 
after  the  State  cannot  compel  the  natives  to  work  for  any  com¬ 
mercial  company.  “Henceforth,'’  say  the  instructions,  “the  com¬ 
panies  shall  have  recourse  exclusively  to  voluntary  and  paid 
labor  for  the  working  of  their  property  or  concessions.” 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  reforms  will  be  carried  out 
thoroughly  and  in  g'ood  faith.  In  spite  of  the  calumnies  put 
about  by  the  King's  enemies,  no  one  can  point  to  a  single  con¬ 
crete  instance  where  King  Leopold  has  failed  to  carry  out  a  prom¬ 
ise.  Moreover  it  is  clearly  to  the  commercial  and  political,  as 
well  as  humanitarian,  interests  of  the  King  and  his  Administra¬ 
tion  to  effect  reforms  which  will  make  the  Government  run 
smoother,  and  which  will  make  the  natives  happy  and  industrious 
rather  than  discontented  and  rebellious. 

The  reforms  are  of  a  nature  to-  satisfy  the  native,  to  satisfy 
the  Government,  and,  in  fact,  to  satisfy  everybody  except  the 
professional  reformers  and  the  well-meaning  but  misguided  mem¬ 
bers  of  religious  and  philanthropic  societies  who  blindly  follow 
these  professional  guides  without  examining  the  matter  for  them¬ 
selves. 

The  professional  reformers  who  continue  their  campaign 
against  the  Congo  are  fighting  a  dead  issue.  The  reforms  they 
asked  for  have  been  granted.  If  they  really  want  reforms  they 
now  have  them.  If  they  want  something  more  they  are  not  act¬ 
ing  in  good  faith,  but  are  seeking  an  excuse  to  destroy  the  State 
like  the  wolf  in  the  fable  who  complained  that  the  lamb  had 
muddied  his  drinking-pool. 


THE  ACCUSATIONS  AGAINST  THE  CONGO. 


The  accusations  against  the  Congo  are  chiefly  based  upon  four 
kinds  of  evidence : 

1.  Stories,  partly  true  and  partly  false,  of  a  few  isolated  inci¬ 
dents  which  occurred  many  years  ago  during  the  period  when 
all  the  energies  of  King  Leopold's  Government  were  engaged  in 
putting  down  the  Arab  slave-raids,  and  in  the  days  when  the 
State  was  just  beginning  to  set  its  hand  to  the  task  of  administer¬ 
ing  this  immense  territory  in  Darkest  Africa. 


5 


2.  Endless  exaggerations  and  multiplications  of  those  stories, 
reminding  one  of  Falstaff’s  eleven  men  in  buckram  suits  grown 
out  of  two. 

3.  Fanciful  stories  told  by  natives  and  accepted  by  mission¬ 
aries  as  gospel  truth,  without  the  slightest  attempt  at  verification. 

4.  Flat  libels. 

As  an  example  of  old  stories,  galvanized  and  still  doing  duty 
as  current  events  may  be  cited  some  statements  made  by  the  Secre¬ 
tary  of  the  Boston  Congo  Reform  Association  in  a  magazine  just 
published  (December,  1906).  He  relates  as  though  it  were  the 
newest  piece  of  gossip  an  incident  described  by  Mr.  Sjoblom. 
That  incident  was  first  related  by  Mr.  Sjoblom  nine  years  ago, 
but  it  is  now  served  up  as  something  fresh  and  no  date  given  to 
it.  It  may  or  may  not  be  a  true  story,  but  its  resurrection  sug¬ 
gests  that  there  is  a  scarcity  of  fresh  “atrocities”  in  stock. 

In  the  same  article  the  Secretary  of  the  Congo  Reform  Asso¬ 
ciation  of  Boston  affirms  that  “cannibalism  exists  in  spite  of  the 
dictum  of  the  Inquiry  Commission,”  and  then  proceeds  to  prove 
the  prevalence  of  cannibalism  in  the  present  year  of  grace  by 
narrating  without  date  an  incident  that  occurred  more  than  ten 
years  ago. 

False  stories  are  often  accepted  by  simple-minded  and  zealous 
clergymen  and  handed  out  again  with  their  endorsement  and  with 
the  added  authority  of  their  names  and  priestly  office.  As  an 
example  may  be  cited  the  story  circulated  extensively  this  sum¬ 
mer  on  the  authority  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  R.  H.  Nassau.  In  June, 
1906,  a  New  York  paper  published  the  story  of  an  alleged 
“atrocity.”  The  article  appeared  over  the  signature  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Nassau  who  seemed  to  relate  the  incident  as  something  with¬ 
in  his  personal  knowledge.  The  paper,  furthermore,  stated  that 
Dr.  Nassau  had  lived  45  years  in  the  Congo  Free  State.  The 
Consul-General  of  the  Congo  State  investigated  the  case,  and 
finally  obtained  from  Dr.  Nassau  a  written  acknowledgment  that 
he  had  never  been  in  the  Congo  Free  State,  that  he  had  no  per¬ 
sonal  knowledge  of  the  incident  related  so  vividly,  that  it  was 
simply  a  story  he  had  read  in  a  book — a  book  that  had  been  con¬ 
demned  as  a  libel  more  than  two  years  ago  by  an  English  Court. 

The  recklessness  of  certain  missionaries  in  making  accusa¬ 
tions  is  also  shown  in  the  case  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Stannard,  an 


6 


English  missionary,  who  was  in  June  of  this  year  found  guilty  of 
libel  against  an  officer  in  the  Congo  Service. 

One  of  the  most  daring  attempts  to  damage  the  Congo  Free 
State  by  trumped-up  charges  was  made  by  Guy  Burrows  with  his 
book  “The  Curse  of  Central  Africa.”  The  book  related  horrors 
which  made  a  deep  impression.  It  was  widely  used  as  a  cam¬ 
paign  document  against  the  Congo  and  stories  from  it  are  found 
in  circulation  to  this  day  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  in  1904  the  book 
was  condemned  as  a  libel  by  the  Court  of  King’s  Bench  in  Lon¬ 
don.  It  was,  moreover,  shown  at  the  trial  that  an  effort  had  been 
made  to  coerce  the  Congo  Government  into  buying  the  manu¬ 
script  before  publication,  but  the  Government  refused  to  yield  to 
what  they  considered  an  attempt  to  “blackmail.” 

THE  LARGE  MAJORITY  OF  MISSIONARIES  IN  THE  CONGO  IN  FAVOR 

OF  THE  GOVERNMENT. 

The  enemies  of  the  Congo  claim  that  their  views  are  backed 
by  the  great  body  of  missionaries  in  the  Congo.  This  claim  is 
absolutely  false. 

There  are  over  500  missionaries  out  there,  Protestant  and 
Catholic.  Out  of  this  number  52  have  signed  an  “Appeal”  against 
the  Administration — in  other  words,  about  one  missionary  in  ten 
is  against  the  Government. 

Of  these  52  signers  sixteen  are  wives  of  missionaries  and  are 
supposed  to  echo  the  opinions  of  their  husbands.  Thirty-five  of 
the  signers  have  mission  stations  in  the  district  near  the  coast 
and,  consequently,  do  not  speak  with  any  authority  in  passing 
judgment  on  events  which  were  alleged  to  have  happened  in  the 
interior — apparently  they  relied  on  stories  told  them  by  others. 
One  of  the  signers  has  his  missionary  station  situated  in  Portu¬ 
guese  Africa,  and  another  signer,  Rev.  Mr.  Hensey,  arrived  in  the 
Congo  for  the  first  time  on  December  23,  1905  and  nineteen  days 
later  signed  the  appeal  condemning  the  administration  of  a 
country  one-third  the  size  of  the  United  States. 

The  opinion  of  52  missionaries,  no  matter  how  hastily  formed, 
should  be  treated  with  proper  consideration,  but  the  opin¬ 
ion  of  the  remaining  450  is  evidently  of  much  more  weight, 
and  in  the  documents  collected  in  this  pamphlet  will  be  found 
extracts  from  letters  which  go  to  showr  that  the  large  majority  of 


7 


Congo  missionaries  uphold  King  Leopold’s  rule  in  Africa  and 
praise  him  for  the  good  work  he  has  accomplished. 

Among  other  documents  will  be  found  a  letter  from  the  prin¬ 
cipals  of  all  the  Catholic  Orders  in  the  Congo,  expressing  the 
sentiments  of  their  384  missionaries  in  repelling  the  attacks  which 
have  been  directed  against  the  Government. 

There  will  also  be  found  at  the  end  of  this  pamphlet  expressions 
of  opinion  from  the  British  Baptist  Missionary  Society;  Dr. 
Samuel  P.  Verner,  a  Presbyterian ;  Rev.  W.  Millman,  of  the  Bap¬ 
tist  Missionary  Society  ;  Rev.  Mr.  Clarke,  and  Rev.  William 
George,  English  missionaries;  Monsignor  Van  Ronsle, 
Apostolic  Vicar  in  the  Congo  Free  State;  Monsignor 
Roelens,  Apostolic  Vicar  of  the  Upper  Congo;  Monsignor 
Augouard,  Father  Maguire,  Father  Colle,  Father  Beyen  of  the 
Order  of  Premontre,  and  other  missionaries  who  have  had  long 
experience  in  the  Congo.  It  is  true  that  most  of  these  witnesses 
for  the  Congo  are  Catholics,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
large  majority  of  missionaries  out  there  are  of  that  church. 
No  Christian,  of  whatever  creed  he  be,  can,  for  a  moment,  think 
that  this  noble  army  of  nearly  400  Catholic  missionaries  who  are 
laying  down  their  lives  for  the  salvation  of  Africa,  would  con¬ 
done  “atrocities”  or  uphold  and  defend  a  corrupt  administration. 

SENTIMENT  IN  BELGIUM  SUPPORTS  THE  KING’S  POLICY. 

The  enemies  of  the  Congo,  ignoring  the  opinions  of  some 
400  missionaries  who  approve  the  Government,  brazenly  attempt 
to  pass  off  the  views  of  52  as  the  unanimous  missionary  sentiment 
in  the  Congo.  In  the  same  way  they  try  to  palm  off  the  opinions 
of  a  few  socialists  and  malcontents  as  the  sentiment  of  the  Bel¬ 
gian  Parliament  and  of  the  Belgian  people.  The  bluff  may  go 
with  some  people  (particularly  when  they  label  a  “Christian- 
Democrat"  as  “Catholic  and  Conservative”  or  disguise  a  socialist 
as  a  “Liberal”),  but  any  one  who  is  at  all  familiar  with  Belgium 
is  aware  that  Belgian  public  opinion  upholds  and  approves  King 
Leopold’s  administration  of  the  Congo.  Go  where  you  will  in 
Belgium  and  you  will  find  that  the  great  majority  of  the  Belgian 
people,  from  the  most  distinguished  statesmen  down  to  the  small 
shop-keeper  stand  solidly  by  the  King  in  his  colonial  enterprise 
and  speak  with  both  admiration  and  gratitude  of  the  great  work 


8 


he  has  accomplished  for  Belgium  and  for  civilization  in  the 
Congo. 

In  the  succeeding  pages  will  be  found  extracts  giving  the  sen¬ 
timents  of  such  distinguished  members  of  the  Belgian  Parliament 
as  Count  de  Smet  de  Naeyer,  Monsieur  Woeste,  Senator  Wiener, 
and  Monsieur  Henry  Carton  de  Wiart. 

PROFITS  DO  NOT  GO  INTO  KING’S  POCKETS. 

Some  of  the  “proofs”  against  the  Congo  are  so  ridiculous  that 
they  can  hardly  be  considered  seriously.  For  example  the  Secre¬ 
tary  of  the  Boston  Congo  Reform  Association  in  a  recent  publi¬ 
cation  seriously  asserts  that  as  the  exports  from  the  Congo  exceed 
the  imports  by  some  $6,000,000  a  year,  it  follows  that  King 
Leopold,  “according  to  his  own  figures  is  looting  the  country  to 
the  extent  of  about  six  million  dollars  a  year.”  It  sounds  rather 
like  an  argument  from  “Alice  in  Wonderland.”  One  could  as 
well  say  that  because  the  exports  of  India  exceed  the  imports  by 
$100,000,000  a  year,  England  is  looting  India  to  the  extent  of 
$100,000,000,  or  that  she  is  robbing  the  Transvaal  of  fifteen 
million  dollars  annually  and  the  Malay  States  of  a  like  amount. 
The  professional  reformers  of  the  Congo  fear  that  somebody  is 
making  money  out  of  Central  Africa  besides  themselves — hence 
they  call  it  “loot”  and  say  it  goes  into  the  King’s  pocket.  As 
usual,  they  are  wrong  on  both  points.  There  is  no  “loot”  in  the 
matter  and  the  revenues  from  the  State  do  not  go  into  the  King’s 
pocket.  There  is  no  mystery  about  the  Congo  finances.  The  rev¬ 
enue  from  concessions  goes  to  the  stockholders  of  the  companies. 
The  State  receives  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  shares  it  holds. 
This  money  figures  in  the  public  budget  and  is  used  for  the 
expenses  of  the  Government.  Profits  from  lands  managed  by  the 
State  are  also  put  into  the  public  budget  of  the  State  and  like¬ 
wise  go  into  the  treasury  of  the  State.  No  public  account 
is  made  of  the  revenue  from  the  Crown  Lands,  but  the  money 
does  not  go  into  the  King's  pockets.  It  might  reasonably  be 
expected  that  the  revenue  from  the  Crown  Lands  should  go  to  the 
Crown,  but  the  King  has  voluntarily  renounced  personal  partici¬ 
pation  in  this  revenue  and  has  with  great  generosity  turned  the 
whole  amount  of  income  from  the  Crown  Lands  into  a  fund  for 
public  improvements  in  the  Congo  and  in  Belgium. 


9 


This  self-denial  on  the  part  of  the  King  does  not  prevent  his 
enemies  from  making  out  fanciful  balance-sheets  for  him  and 
crediting  his  imaginary  account  with  fabulous  amounts.  A  recent 
anti-Congo  writer  goes  so  far  as  to  say  that  the  King  makes  four¬ 
teen  million  dollars  a  year  out  of  the  Congo  which  looks  like  the 
statement  of  a  frenzied  financier  as  the  whole  annual  output  from 
the  Congo  is  only  about  $10,000,000. 

King  Leopold  gave  millions  of  francs  out  of  his  own  pocket 
to  support  the  Congo  in  its  early  days.  It  was  his  munificence 
that  made  the  existence  of  the  State  possible.  It  was  his  initiative 
and  generosity  that  opened  up  the  country  and  enabled  the  mis¬ 
sionaries  to  carry  the  Cross  to  the  heart  of  Africa.  He  has 
watched  over  the  Congo  and  guarded  it  and  has  prepared  it  as  a 
rich  legacy  for  Belgium.  The  Congo  is  the  work  of  King  Leo¬ 
pold’s  hands  and,  as  His  Majesty  recently  said,  “There  can  be  no 
more  legitimate  and  respectable  right  4han  the  right  of  the  author 
to  his  own  work, — the  fruit  of  his  labor. 

“The  Powers  assisted  at  the  birth  of  the  new  State  with  benev¬ 
olence,  but  not  a  single  one  of  them  was  asked  to  participate  in 
my  efforts ;  not  one  of  them  therefore  possesses  a  right  of  inter¬ 
vention  in  the  Congo,  which  nothing  could  justify . 

My  rights  in  the  Congo  are  absolute ;  they  are  the  results  of  my 
labor  and  expense.” 

With  this  clear  announcement  of  the  international  rights  of 
the  Congo  Free  State  should  be  compared  the  opinion  of  the  Bel¬ 
gian  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs,  Baron  de  Favereau : 

“It  would  be  contrary  to  all  principles  of  international  law  that 
a  Government  should  interfere  in  the  internal  administration  of 
a  sovereign  State.” 

Also  with  Mr.  Root’s  equally  explicit  opinion : 

“The  Congo  State  absolutely  denies  any  right  on  their  (i.  e., 
the  Powers)  part  to  intervene  in  its  affairs,  and  none  of  the  other 
signatory  Powers  appear  to  controvert  that  denial.  However 
this  may  be,  it  is  certain  that  the  United  States  has  no  treaty  right 
of  intervention.  We  could  not  rightfully  summon  or  participate 
in  any  international  conference  looking  to  intervention,  adjudi¬ 
cation  or  enforcement  of  a  general  accord  by  other  African  Pow¬ 
ers  against  the  Congo  State.” 


TESTIMONY  OF 


Missionaries  in  the  Congo  Free  State. 


STATEMENT  SIGNED  BY 

THE  PRINCIPALS  OE  THE  CATHOLIC  MISSIONARIES 
IN  THE  CONGO  FREE  STATE. 


(It  should  be  noted  that  the  Catholic  Orders  constitute  a  majority 
of  the  Christian  Missionaries  in  the  Congo  Free  State.  They  have 
384  Missionaries  and  Sisters  and  72,000  communicants  and  cate¬ 
chumens.  They  have  88  Mission  Posts  scattered  throughout  the 
whole  country,  113  churches  and  chapels,  528  farm  chapels  and  over 
500  schools.) 

* 

The  following  extract  is  from  a  letter  addressed  by  the  Principals 
of  the  Orders  to  the  Catholic  Herald,  and  dated  December  29,  1904: 

“The  undersigned,  principals  of  the  Catholic  missionaries  of  both 
sexes  in  the  Congo  Free  State,  hold  it  a  duty  to  express  to  you 
their  respectful  and  keen  gratitude  for  the  energetic  way  in  which 
your  newspaper  has  defended  them,  and  for  the  open  letter  in  which 
you  have  replied  to  the  accusations  leveled  at  them  by  Mr.  Morel. 

“L^p  to  this  date  we  have  left  to  others  the  care  of  answering  the 
unjustifiable  charges  made  of  late  against  the  Free  State.  But  as 
Mr.  Morel  now  accuses  the  Catholic  missionaries  of  being  silent, 
either  by  order  or  out  of  self-interest,  we  owe  it  to  our  honor  to 
give  his  allegations  a  public  and  completely  unanimous  denial. 

“Our  Catholic  missionaries  have  never  gainsaid  that  in  Congo- 
land — as  in  all  new  colonies — cruelties  have  been  practised  in 
isolated  instances.  They  have  not  had  to  denounce  such  cruelties, 
however,  because — to  the  knowledge  of  all — the  Government  of  the 


II 


Free  State  has  always  been  prompt  to  redress  abuses,  in  order  to 
prevent  their  recurrence.” 

(Signed.) 

AD.  VAN  HECKE, 

Superior  General  of  the  Seheut  Fathers,  established  in  the  Apo¬ 
stolic  Vicariate  of  the  Congo  Free  State  and  in  the  Apostolic 
Prefecture  of  the  Upper-Kasai. 

JOS.  STYBOL, 

Provincial  Superior  of  the  Redemptorist  Fathers,  established  in 
the  Congo  Free  State. 

AD.  DECKERS, 

Abbot  of  Tongerloo,  Superior  of  the  Canons  of  the  Order  of 
Premontre,  established  in  the  Apostolic  Prefecture  of  the  Uele. 

JOS.  DE  VOS,  S.  J., 

Provincial  Superior  of  the  Jesuit  Fathers,  established  in  the  Apo¬ 
stolic  Prefecture  of  the  Kwango. 

FATHER  BELAUE, 

Superior  of  the  White  Fathers  of  Africa,  residing  in  Antwerp. 

FERD.  BROECHOVEN, 

Abbot  of  the  Trappist  Fathers,  established  in  the  Equator  District 
of  the  Congo  Free  State. 

NORBERT  AERTS, 

Procurator  of  the  Trappist  missionaries  in  the  Congo  Free  State. 

S.  DEHON, 

Superior  General  of  the  Priests  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  established 
in  the  Prefecture  of  the  Falls. 

V.  JEANROY, 

Procurator  of  the  Falls  Mission. 


12 


ADDRESS  OF 

THE  BRITISH  BAPTIST  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  OF 

LONDON, 

TO  HIS  MAJESTY, 

KING  LEOPOLD  II. 

January,  1903. 

‘‘The  Committee  of  the  British  Baptist  Missionary  Society  of 
London  desire  most  respectfully  to  address  Your  Majesty,  as 
Sovereign  of  the  Congo  Free  State,  and  to  express  their  grateful 
acknowledgments  for  Your  Majesty’s  gracious  and  helpful  sympathy 
with  all  wisely-considered  efforts  put  forth  for  the  enlightenment 
and  uplifting  of  Your  Majesty's  native  subjects  living  within  the 
territories  of  the  Congo  Free  State. 

“In  prosecution  of  these  labors,  the  Committee  of  the  Baptist 
Missionary  Society  desire  gratefully  to  acknowledge  the  many  signal 
and  helpful  proofs  they  have  received  of  Your  Gracious  Majesty’s 
approval  and  support;  and  very  specially  at  this  juncture  they  are 
anxious  to  express  to  Your  Majesty  their  respectful  appreciation 
of  the  great  boon  granted  ‘to  all  religious,  scientific  and  charitable 
institutions,’  by  the  reduction  of  direct  and  personal  taxes  by  50  per 
cent.,  from,  on  and  after  the  first  day  of  July  last,  as  proclaimed  by 
.Your  Majesty’s  command,  in  the  May  and  June  issues  of  the 
Bulletin  Official  de  I’Etai  Independant  du  Congo ,  which  the  Com¬ 
mittee  regards  as  a  further  and  significant  proof  of  Your  Majesty’s 
desire  to  promote  the  truest  welfare  of  Your  Majesty's  Congo  sub¬ 
jects,  and  to  help  forward  all  institutions  calculated  to  produce 
enduring  and  beneficial  results.” 


LETTER  FROM  MONSIGNOR  VAN  RONSLE, 
Apostolic-Vicar  in  the  Congo  Free  State. 

“There  is  very  little  time  to  write  before  the  departure  of  the  mail. 
I  will  not,  however,  delay  in  telling  you  the  painful  impression  pro¬ 
duced  upon  us  by  the  attempts  that  are  being  made  to  destroy  or 
injure  a  work  which  is  one  of  the  glories  of  our  King  and  country. 

“To  those  of  our  fellow-countrymen  -who  interrogate  you,  and 
who  wish  to  know  what  we  think  of  the  attacks  of  which  the  State 
is  the  object,  you  can  reply  that  in  our  opinion  they  are  unjustified. 

“The  State  condemns  any  abuses  that  come  under  its  knowledge. 
The  law  is  well  organized,  extends  like  a  network  over  all  the  State 
territory,  and  is  carried  out  in  some  degree  independently  of  the 


i3 


administration.  I  have  known  a  great  many  magistrates,  who  have 
formed  part  of  it,  honorable  men,  and  who  had  their  responsibilities 
very  much  at  heart,  performing  their  duty  in  an  independent  and 
conscientious  manner.  How,  then,  is  it  possible  to  affirm  that  atroci¬ 
ties  are  erected  into  a  system  patronized  by  the  State? 

“I  make  it  my  duty  in  the  present  circumstances,  to  pay  the 
Government  a  tribute  of  admiration  and  gratitude.  Of  admiration, 
in  presence  of  the  vast  and  fine  organization  that  it  has  succeeded 
in  establishing  here  after  such  a  few  years,  and  which  astonishes 
even  those  who  wish  to  injure  it;  of  gratitude  for  the  benevolent 
protection  and  efficacious  support  which  it  has  given  to  our  missions. 

“That  is  briefly  what  I  had  in  my  heart  to  tell  you,  and  what  I 
beg  you  to  communicate  to  those  who  might  be  in  doubt  as  to  our 
views  in  the  present  circumstances.” — ( Letter  dated  Leopoldville , 
Congo  Free  State,  July  28,  1903.) 


DR.  SAMUEL  PHILLIPS  VERNER 

(Sometime  connected  with  the  missions  of  the  Southern  Presby¬ 
terian  Church,  of  America,  in  the  Congo.) 

IN  REGARD  TO  THE  TROUBLES  BETWEEN  CERTAIN 
BRITISH  MISSIONARIES  AND  THE 
CONGO  GOVERNMENT. 

“The  main  point  about  these  troubles  is  the  fact  that  they  do  not 
arise  from  any  antagonistic  policy  between  the  Governments  repre¬ 
sented,  or  from  any  mischievous  attitude  on  the  part  of  the  theoret¬ 
ical  program  of  the  Government.  They  come  principally  from  the 
weaknesses  and  mistakes  of  individuals  on  the  field,  from  the 
alienation  in  nationality  and  language  between  the  contiguous 
settlers,  and  from  the  petty,  and  often  pusillanimous  quarrels  and 
officiousness,  for  which  both  parties  are  to  blame.  On  the  whole 
sensible  men  may,  and  do,  live  together  in  peace  and  soberness, 
and  wrongs  are  righted,  grievances  redressed  and  just  privileges 
accorded,  when  the  proper  means  are  used,  and  the  proper  diplo¬ 
matic  usages  observed.  Certain  it  is,  that  the  general  effect  of  the 
Government  has  been  progressive  and  beneficial.  There  are  some 
flagrant  abuses,  but  these  are  being  corrected  as  rapidly  as  the  con¬ 
ditions  permit,  and  it  is  a  fact  that  many  abuses  have  been  corrected 
when  timely  attention  has  been  called  to  them.” — ( From  “Pioneer¬ 
ing  in  Central  Africa ”  by  S.  P.  Verner,  Richmond  Presbyterian 
Committee  of  Publication,  1903.) 


14 


REV.  W.  MILLMAN,  A  BAPTIST  MISSIONARY. 

“It  is  a  pleasure  and  an  honor  to  be  able  to  say  that  in  this  part 
of  the  Province  Orientale,  that  is,  in  the  country  lying  between 
Isanghi  and  Stanleyville,  with  which  we  are  and  have  been  for  eight 
years  very  intimately  acquainted,  we  have  never  seen  or  known  any 
single  case  of  grave  maladministration  or  cruelty. 

“Your  Excellency,  it  is  a  joy  to  us,  and  you  will  pardon  us  if  we 
express  the  wish  that  a  like  joy  may  soon  be  the  lot  of  every  Congo¬ 
lese,  native  and  white,  to  testify  to  the  ability,  enlightenment,  and 
humanity  of  the  officers  who  have  occupied  the  highest  position  in 
this  province  from  the  early  days  of  Mr.  Malfeyts  residence  here 
until  the  present  time  of  Mr.  de  Muelemeester’s  term  of  office.” — 
( Letter  dated  Yakusu,  December  28,  1905.) 


REV.  JOHN  ALEXANDER  CLARKE  AND  REV.  WILLIAM 

GEORGE. 

Rev.  John  Alexander  Clarke  and  Rev.  William  George,  both 
English  Protestant  Missionaries  of  the  Garenganze  Mission,  con¬ 
tradict  the  statements  of  the  Rev.  Dugald  Campbell : 

“With  reference  to  the  grave  charges  brought  against  the  Congo 
Government  by  the  Rev.  Dugald  Campbell,  of  NE.  Rhodesia,  in 
your  Weekly  Edition  Supplement  of  August  26,  1904 — viz.  (1) 
‘that  it  tolerates,  profits  by,  and  makes  no  effort  to  suppress  the 
slave  traffic;  (2)  the  slavers  are  well  supplied  with  guns,  rifles,  and 
ammunition’ — we,  as  missionaries  who  have  lived  in  Katanga  district 
for  some  years,  desire  to  say  that  the  first  statement  is  absolutely 
incorrect  and  altogether  misrepresents  the  Government.  Personally, 
we  know  of  vigorous  measures  having  been  taken  to  suppress  this 
horrid  traffic  carried  on  by  Western  traders,  the  Bambundu;  even 
as  recently  as  the  spring  of  this  year  expeditions  have  passed  our 
door  for  this  very  purpose.  The  second  statement  is  entirely  mis¬ 
leading,  the  guns,  rifles,  and  ammunition  are  brought  in  from  the 
West  Coast,  and  are  not  supplied  by  the  Congo  authorities.  While 
other  statements  in  Mr.  Campbell’s  letter  require  some  modification, 
others,  again,  are  not  true  of  the  present  regime.” — ( Letter  to  “The 
Times”  dated  Koni  Hill,  Congo,  November  21,  1904.) 


MONSIGNOR  VAN  RONSLfi. 

A  later  letter  from  Mgr.  Van  Ronsle,  Apostolic-Vicar  of  the 
Lower  Congo,  who  has  had  fifteen  years’  experience  in  the  Congo 
and  has  never  seen  an  act  of  cruelty  there : 


i5 


“During  the  period  of  fifteen  years  that  I  have  been  in  the  Congo, 
never,  neither  myself  nor,  as  far  as  I  know,  anybody  amongst  my 
missionaries  lias  been  an  eye-witness  to  any  act  of  cruelty,  nor  has 
even  seen  the  effects  of  such  an  act. 

“The  missionary' Fathers  and  myself  have  heard  sometimes  com¬ 
plaints  of  reprehensible  acts,  but  in  most  cases  the  stories  which 
were  told  to  us  left  room  for  much  doubt. 

*  ^  *  *  *  *  *  * 

“I  do  not  pretend  that  we  find  everything  perfect  in  every  way, 
but  only  a  Colonial  Government  which  is  above  all  reproach  would 
have  the  right  to  cast  stones  at  the  Congo  Free  State.”- — ( Letter 
dated  Leopoldville,  Congo  Free  State,  December  22,  1904.) 


MONSIGNOR  ROELENS,  APOSTOLIC-VICAR  OF  THE 

UPPER  CONGO. 

# 

Monsignor  Roelens,  Apostolic-Vicar  of'  the  Pepper  Congo,  has 
spent  twelve  years  in  the  Congo  Free  State,  and  “does  not  know  a 
single  case  of  inhuman  treatment  inflicted  by  a  white  man  on  a 
negro” : 

‘‘It  is  on  behalf  of  true  justice  and  of  real  humanity  that  we, 
Belgian  Missionaries,  make  bold  to  protest  against  the  attacks 
leveled  at  His  Majesty  our  King  and  against  our  fellow-country¬ 
men  whom  we  believe  attacked  without  any  serious  foundation. 

“I  say  we  ‘believe  without  foundation.’  We  are  positive  about 
it.  In  regard  to  a  portion  of  the  Congo  known  to  us  from  having 
visited  it  in  detail,  and  in  which  we  have  been  living  for  many  years, 
and  from  what  we  have  learned  and  are  learning  every  day,  we  are 
satisfied  that  the  same  applies  to  the  Congo  throughout. 

^  if:  ^  >|c  *  % 

“The  officers  who  have  succeeded  one  another  here  in  the  Gov¬ 
ernment  of  this  portion  of  the  Congo  have  proved  themselves  equal 
to  their  humanitarian  task.  They  have  always  exercised  the  strictest 
control  over  their  inferiors.  I  am  able  to  assert  as  absolute  truth 
that  during  the  twelve  years  I  have  spent  out  here,  and  though  I 
have  always  been  acquainted  with  all  that  was  going  on  in  the  State 
stations  and  their  vicinity,  not  a  single  case  of  inhuman  treatment 
inflicted  by  a  white  man  on  any  negro  has  ever  come  to  my  knowl¬ 
edge. 

“I  have  roamed  all  over  the  part  of  the  Congo  State  extending 
from  the  Tanganyika  to  Stanleyville ;  I  have  resided  for  days  and 
days  in  various  stations  of  the  State ;  I  have  made  a  detailed  inspec¬ 
tion  of  the  shores  of  the  lake,  a  good  part  of  Urua  and  Manyema ; 


i6 


I  have  conversed  freely  with  the  natives  who  have  laid  open  all 
their  grievances  to  me.  The  only  misdoings  which  they  complained 
of  were  those  committed  by  the  so-called  Wangwanas  (civilized), 
former  confederates  or  followers  of  the  Arabs,  whose  principles 
they  put  into  practice.  In  spite  of  active  supervision  and  of  the 
closest  watch,  the  State  has  so  far  not  succeeded  in  preventing  all 
the  outrages  which  they  are  in  the  habit  of  perpetrating.  Nowhere 
have  I  ever  heard  a  charge  of  inhumanity  advanced  against  an 
officer  of  the  State.  Everywhere  I  have  found  peace,  security, 
plentifulness  and  joy.  I  have  not  seen  a  single  trace  anywhere  of 
these  so-called  inhuman  oppression  and  intolerable  yoke.” — ( Letter 
dated  Brandoinville,  Congo >  March  15,  1904.) 


% 

REV.  MR.  AVE,  AN  AMERICAN  MISSIONARY. 

Rev.  Mr.  Ave,  an  'American  missionary,  as  reported  by  Colonel 
James  J.  Harrison  ih  London  Times ,  June  10,  1904: 

“Since  writing  the  above  I  see  in  today’s  Morning  Post  quotations 
from  some  English  trader  in  Matadi.  He  says :  ‘From  all  I  hear 
things  up  country  are  worse  than  ever.  In  the  Mayumbe  country, 
behind  Boma  even,  the  State  has  begun  collecting  rubber  by  force 
from  the  natives.’ 

“As  I  happened  to  travel  home  on  the  same  boat  as  Mr.  Ave,  an 
American  missionary,  who  has  for  some  years  been  in  charge  of  this 
Mayumbe  district,  his  statements  to  me  may  be  of  interest.  Mr.  Ave 
said  :  ‘All  these  reports  were  untrue ;  that  the  district  was  governed 
by  an  officer  who  was  most, kind  and  considerate  in  all  his  dealings 
with  the  natives;  that  he  had  carefully  readjusted  the  taxation  so 
as  to  fall  as  fairly  as  possible  with  regard  to  villages  and  population 
of  same;  and ‘that  he  was  universally  respected  by  all  the  natives  as 
a  kind  and  just  man.’  ” 


REV.  FATHER  COLLE. 

Letter  from  Rev.  Father  Colle  to  The  Catholic  Herald ,  giving- 
results  of  six  years’  experience  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  Congo 
Free  State : 

“February  5th,  1905. 

“Sir:  I  hasten  to  reply  to  your  esteemed  letter  of  the  28th  of 
October,  1904,  in  which  you  do  me  the  honor  to  consult  me  con¬ 
cerning  the  ‘atrocities’  attributed  to  the  Congo  Administration.  I 
reply  then  quite  candidly  and  without  reticence,  nor  any  ‘arriere 
pensee’  whatever. 


“After  nearly  six  years’  residence  in  the  Congo,  of  which  four 
were  spent  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  agents  of  the  Comite  Special 
of  the  Katanga,  I  have  never  found  the  least  act  which  merits  in 
the  smallest  degree  the  epithet  ‘atrocity.’  On  the  contrary,  it  has 
seemed  to  me  many  times  that  a  little  more  firmness  would  have 
heen  better  amongst  the  savage  and  intractable  people  which  sur¬ 
rounds  us. 

“May  my  feeble  offering  help  to  strengthen  information  more 
authorized,  and  aid  however  little  the  work  of  truth  and  justice 
that  you  have  undertaken. 

“(Signed.)  PIERRE  COLLE, 

“Catholic  Missionary  in  Urua.” 


FATHER  MAGUIRE,  A  MISSION  ON  THE  UPPER  CONGO. 

Father  Maguire,  a  mission  on  the  Upper  Congo : 

“Before  concluding,  I  would  just  mention  that,  though  I  have 
traveled  by  boat  and  on  foot  from  Boma  to  Amadi  and  higher 
up  to  Surunga,  calling  at  all  the  State  stations ;  though  I  have  visited 
many  establishments,  both  Catholic  and  non-Catholic,  as  well  as 
some  stations  of  independent  companies ;  though  I  have  passed 
nights  and  days  in  my  tent  in  the  forest  and  in  villages  of  the 
natives ;  though  I  have  had  ample  opportunities  of  seeing  much  in 
my  journeys  as  to  how  the  natives  are  treated,  I  have  never  seen  or 
heard  of  any  of  the  atrocities  with  which  the  agents  of  the  Free 
State  are  charged.  On  the  contrary,  one  cannot  but  admire  the 
wonderful  progress  that  has  been  made  in  so  short  a  time,  the  com¬ 
mendable  way  in  which  the  natives  are  treated,  the  little  work  that 
is  exacted  of  them,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  are  punctually 
paid  for  every  service  rendered  or  work  done.  The  little  work 
which  is  occasionally  exacted  of  them  by  way  of  tax  in  porterage 
or  otherwise  is  as  nothing  when  compared  with  the  immense  benefits 
conferred  upon  them  by  the  State.  In  fact  the  methods  of  the 
Belgian  officers  drew  a  highly  complimentary  eulogium  from  the 
Sirdar  during  his  recent  visit  to  the  Enclave  of  Lado — methods 
which,  he  stated,  might  be  followed  with  advantage  by  our  English 
officers :  Messieurs,  nous  avons  d’excellentes  leqons  devant  nos  yeux, 
said  he,  ‘Gentlemen,  these  are  excellent  object-lessons  for  us.’  ” — 
( Letter  in  “ Manchester  Guardian  ”  March  31,  1904.) 


i8 


MONSIGNOR  AUGOUARD. 

Mgr.  Augouard,  Bishop  of  the  French  Upper  Congo,  on  condi¬ 
tions  prevailing  in  the  Congo  Free  State: 

‘‘Dear  Sir:  In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  28th  of  October,  last,  I 
hasten  to  send  you  the  information  you  have  asked  in  regard  to  the 
atrocities  of  which  the  Congo  Free  State  is  accused. 

‘‘I  gladly  avail  myself  of  this  opportunity  to  protest  against  these 
accusations,  and  I  shall  lay  before  you  the  truth  of  the  matter  in  all 
sincerity. 

‘‘I  have  been  in  the  Congo  region  for  27  years.  I  was  present  at 
the  birth  of  the  Congo  Free  State  and  have  witnessed  its  rapid 
development.  Consequently  I  am  better  qualified  than  anyone  else 
to  give  you  information  acquired  by  long  experience. 

“The  majority  of  the  accusations  made  against  the  Free  State  are 
only  repetitions  of  accusations  made  ten  or  fifteen  years  ago ;  but 
no  new  facts  have  been  found  in  support  of  these  charges.  Among 
the  accusations  formerlv  made,  some  were  well  founded,  and,  at 
the  period  to  which  I  refer,  I  myself  protested  against  certain  abuses 
and  demanded  their  repression.  But  in  what  colony  do  you  not 
find  some  abuses  of  authority  and  some  faults  committed  by  the 
officials?  French,  Germans,  Portuguese  and  Belgians  have  more 
or  less  abused  their  power  at  times,  and  the  English  themselves  have 
not  always  been  very  tender  in  their  dealings  with  the  natives  of 
Africa.  Why  should  these  latter  now  reproach  the  Belgians  for 
doing  those  things  which  they  themselves  have  done  in  their  own 
colonies  ? 

“But  I  affirm  that  the  majority  of  the  stories  which  have  been 
recently  put  in  circulation  again  are  either  false  or  considerably 
exaggerated. 

“Undoubtedly  perfection  does  not  exist  in  the  Congo  Free  State 
any  more  than  it  exists  in  the  neighboring  colonies.  But  I  am 
glad  to  say  that  the  Free  State  endeavors  to  put  down  abuses  and 
that,  especially  during  the  past  ten  years,  the  judicial  officers  have 
devoted  special  attention  to  the  prosecution  of  agents  guilty  of 
cruelty  towards  the  natives. 

“Whenever  I  have  had  the  honor  of  being  received  in  audience 
bv  King  Leopold  II.  His  Majesty  has  asked  me  to  tell  him  frankly 
and  freely  of  any  abuses  which  might  have  come  to  my  knowledge, 
promising  me  to  apply  a  prompt  remedy. 

“If  the  Free  State  has  occasionally  employed  severe  measures  to 
subdue  savage  and  cannibal  tribes,  it  must  be  admitted  also  that  for 
a  long  time  it  has  done  everything  in  its  power  to  protect  the  native 
and  to  secure  for  him  the  benefits  of  civilization.  The  missionaries 
all  over  the  country  are  the  object  of  special  solicitude  on  the  part  of 
the  Government,  which  encourages  everything  that  contributes  to  the 


19 


material  and  moral  uplifting  of  the  savage  tribes  of  the  Congo.  I 
may  add  that  for  the  last  twenty  vears  the  English  missionaries  have 
obtained  favors  which  I  myself  should  not  have  been  able  to  obtain 
in  the  Congo  Free  State. 

“To  sum  up,  inevitable  abuses  took  place  in  the  beginning  chiefly 
at  the  time  Stanley  was  laying  the  foundation  of  the  State.  The 
Government  does  not  attempt  to  deny  it.  But  these  abuses  dis¬ 
appeared  many  years  ago,  and  the  Government,  with  a  perfectly 
organized  system  of  justice,  constantly  endeavors  to  punish  offenses 
which  come  to  its  knowledge.  In  my  opinion  the  punishment  is 
sometimes  even  excessive.  In  some  cases  white  men  have  under¬ 
gone  severe  punishment  for  a  very  light  correction  administered  to 
a  disobedient  boy  or  to  a  thief. 

“Let  us  therefore  permit  the  Congo  Free  State  to  go  on  with  its 
development  and  to  bring  to  good  results  the  great  work  undertaken 
by  King  Leopold.  When  I  think  of  the  sad  plight  of  the  Congo 
when  I  first  saw  it  27  years  ago.  and  then  consider  the  flourishing 
condition  in  which  I  see  it  today,  I  cannot  refrain  from  admiring 
the  genius  which  has  so  quickly  transformed  these  regions  and 
opened  them  to  commerce  and  to  civilization.  The  accusations,  more 
or  less  founded  of  certain  malcontents,  should  not  cause  one  to 
forget  the  gratitude  which  Africa  owes  to  the  Sovereign  of  the 
Congo  Free  State. 

“I  beg  you  to  accept,  sir,  the  homage  of  my  respectful  and 
devoted  sentiments  in  our  Lord. 

“(Signed.)  PROSPER  AUGOUARD, 

“Bishop  of  the  French  FTpper  Congo.” 

“P.  S.  You  may  give  to  this  letter  such  publicity  as  you  think 
proper,  in  order  to  establish  the  truth.” 


VERY  REV.  BRUNO  SCHMITE. 

The  Very  Rev.  Bruno  Schmite,  who  has  been  a  missionary  in  the 
Congo  ten  years : 

“Ten  years’  residence  on  the  banks  of  the  Tanganyika  have  con¬ 
vinced  me  that,  from  a  humanitarian  and  civilized  point  of  view,  the 
natives  in  our  regions  have  nothing  to  envy  from  those  in  the 
neighboring  English  and  German  territories.  Quite  the  contrary. 

'I'  'k  d'  -S'  • 

“The  latter,  i.  e.  the  native,  is  nothing  but  a  vicious  and  lazy  child, 
who  has  need  of  an  energetic  tutor  as  much  to  curb  his  inhuman 
vices  as  to  conquer  his  laziness.  I  will  not  go  so  far  as  to  pretend 
that  the  Congo  State  is  so  entirely  disinterested  as  to  urge  the  negro 


S 


20 


to  work  merely  for  the  sake  of  civilizing  him,  but,  whatever  her 
intentions  are,  they  are  honest,  and,  more  than  that,  the  steps  which 
she  takes  are  eminently  calculated  to  improve  the  moral  status  of  the 
native. 

“Besides  this,  with  a  broad  mind  the  State  encourages,  favors  and 
supports  all  important  works  which  might  further  this  end.  And 
on  this  same  subject  we,  White  Fathers,  have  nothing  to  envy  in  the 
treatment  of  the  Catholic  missionaries  elsewhere,  and  especially  of 
those  living  in  the  neighboring  German  and  English  colonies. 

“Finally,  I  would  that  all  the  negroes  of  the  world  could  have  an 
Administration  such  as  that  possessed  by  the  Congo  State  in  our 
regions.” 


REV.  FATHER  BEYNEN,  OF  THE  ORDER  OF 

PREMONTRE. 

Rev.  Father  Beynen,  of  the  Order  of  Premontre : 

“Having,  in  the  absence  of  the  Very  Rev.  Apostolic  Prefect  of 
Uele,  fulfilled  the  duties  of  that  high  office,  from  January,  1903,  to 
March  of  last  year,  I  roamed  over  it  from  Ibernbo  to  Sumbari  and 
beyond,  I  saw  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  place,  I  traveled  on  foot, 
in  a  pirogue,  on  muleback,  over  the  State  highways  as  well  as  over 
the  small  paths  leading  to  the  native  villages,  where — be  it  said  in 
passing — I  stayed  many  days  and  nights  and  heard  the  natives  fear¬ 
lessly  and  openly  talking  about  their  interests  and  I  never  saw  a 
single  act  of  cruelty  committed  by  any  agent  of  the  State. 

“All  the  State  agents,  more  particularly  the  Belgian  officers  with 
whom  I  had  the  honor  to  be  acquainted  in  the  Uele,  have  shown 
themselves  worthy  of  our  small,  but  beloved  country. 

“Like  Mgr.  Roelens  in  the  territory  under  his  jurisdiction,  I  found 
order,  peace,  security,  abundance  and  joy.  No  trace  whatever  of 
inhuman  oppression,  or  of  an  unbearable  yoke.  Nor  is  the  work 
imposed  upon  the  blacks  at  all  exorbitant.” — ( Letter  dated  Ibernbo, 
Congo ,  January  11,  1905,  to  Federation  for  Defense  Belgian 
Interests  Abroad .) 


LETTER  ADDRESSED  TO  KING  LEOPOLD  BY  THE  PRIN¬ 
CIPALS  OF  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS. 

Letter  addressed  to  King  Leopold  by  the  principals  of  Catholic 
Missions  in  the  Congo,  1906: 

“Sire :  By  a  recent  letter  addressed  to  the  Secretaries  General 
of  the  Free  State,  Your  Majesty  has  deigned  to  publicly  and 
solemnly  acknowledge  the  importance  of  the  religious  mission  work 
in  the  Congo. 


21 


“The  national  congregations  particularly  appreciate  this  proof  of 
high  sympathy  with  which  Your  Majesty  has  deigned  to  honor 
them.  The  representatives  of  the  various  communities  who  send 
missionaries  out  to  the  Congo,  beg  Your  Majesty  to  kindly  accept 
the  expression  of  their  warm  and  deep  gratitude. 

“It  is  with  a  new  ardor,  Sire,  with  a  new  perseverance,  of  which 
Your  Majesty  gives  a  fine  example,  that  our  missionaries  will  unite 
their  efforts  to  those  of  all  the  devoted  agents  of  Christian  civiliza¬ 
tion  for  the  regeneration  of  the  black  race  in  the  Congo. 

“Please  accept,  Sire,  the  homage  of  the  feelings  with  which  we 
have  the  honor  to  call  ourselves  the  respectful  and  faithful  subjects 
of  Your  Majesty. 

“(Signed.) 

“AD.  VAN  HECKE, 

“Superior  General  of  the  Missions  of  Scheut. 

“F.  A.  DECKERS, 

“Prelate  of  Tongerloo. 

“J.  DEVOS  S.  J„ 

“Provincial  of  the  Company  of  Jesus  in  Belgium. 

“A.  BROECKOVEN, 

“Priest  of  Westmalle ;  per  the  Provincial  Father  of  the  Redemp- 
torists. 

“R.  VERAMME,  V.  YEANROY, 

“Procureur  of  the  Mission  of  the  Stanley  Falls. 

j 

“BELAUE, 

“Superior  of  the  White  Fathers.” 


OPINIONS  OF  SOME  PROMINENT  CHURCH¬ 
MEN  IN  ENGLAND  AND  AMERICA. 


HIS  EMINENCE  CARDINAL  GIBBONS. 

His  Eminence  Cardinal  Gibbons  : 

“It  is  only  some  score  of  discontented  men,  depending  largely  on 
the  untrustworthy  hearsay  evidence  of  natives,  who  have  raised  an 
outcry  against  the  Congo  administration,  out  of  a  great  band  of  500 
or  600  missionaries,  both  Catholic  and  Protestant,  who  are  working 
on  the  Congo,  and  who  give  thanks  to  the  Congo  administration 
for  its  support  to  the  missions,  and  for  its  successful  efforts  to 
introduce  Christianity  and  civilization  into  Central  Africa.” — ( Letter 
dated  Baltimore,  October  21,  1904.) 


22 


ADDRESS  OF  CATHOLICS  IN  GREAT  BRITAIN  AND 

IRELAND. 

Address  of  Catholics  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  to  His  Majesty, 
King  Leopold,  presented  February  27,  1904,  and  signed  by  two 
Archbishops,  four  Bishops,  Members  of  Parliament,  etc. : 

“They  [i.  e.,  Catholics  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland]  have  seen  with 
much  satisfaction  that  many  foul  and  terrible  charges,  brought  for¬ 
ward  by  malignant  and  interested  persons  against  Congo  officials, 
have  been  disproved,  both  in  the  Law  Courts  and  bv  the- highest  and 
most  reliable  testimony ;  and  they,  therefore,  sympathize  with  the 
Congo  Administration,  whose  every  action  is  clearly  an  object  of 
unprincipled  attack  by  men  who  pose  as  honest  defenders  of  the 
natives,  but  who  are,  in  reality,  fomenters  of  religious  hatred,  and 
are  either  themselves  plotters  or  the  ready  tools  of  schemers  who 
have  personal  ends  to  serve  by  the  crusade  on  which  they  have 
entered. 

“The  revelations  just  made  regarding  the  disgraceful  bribing  of  a 
Congo  official  by  the  Congo  Reform  Society’s  secretary  show  clearly 
the  methods  employed  by  those  pseudo-philanthropists. 

“Your  memorialists  earnestly  desire  to  assure  Your  Majesty  that 
they  will  labor  to  the  end  that  the  schemes  of  these  interested  calum¬ 
niators  may  be  entirely  overthrown  and  exposed ;  and  they  are  satis¬ 
fied  that  one  way  of  defeating  these  plotters  is  to  exercise  the  most 
rigid  care  in  the  appointment  of  officials  and  the  closest  control  over 
such  officials  when  appointed ;  and  if  delinquents  are  found,  to 
punish  them  and  dispense  with  their  services. 

“It  is,  no  doubt,  true  that  cases  of  wrong-doing  are  bound  to 
occur,  but  such  cases  can  in  no  way  obscure  the  great  and  noble 
work  for  progress  and  civilization  which  Belgium  has  carried  out  in 
the  reedon  of  the  Congo,  which  competent  authorities  admit  is  being 
improved  and  developed  as  rapidly  as  additional  means  of  providing 
for  the  welfare  of  the  native  races  are  available. 

“Belgium’s  mission  in  the  Congo  region  is  a  high  and  noble  one ; 
and  your  memorialists  are  satisfied  that  Your  Majesty  thoroughly 
realizes  this.  They  do  not  forget  that  the  parties  who  are  now 
inspiring  these  attacks  on  the  Congo  Administration  carefully 
refrained  from  interesting  themselves  in  Congo  affairs  until  these  had 
been  launched  on  their  present  highly-successful  career  under  Your 
Majesty’s  supervision.  Hence  the  jealousy  and  envy  that  have  been 
incurred  by  Belgium  from  those  who  would  now  endeavor  to  deprive 
her  of  the  fruits  of  her  labor,  and  would  seize  for  themselves  the 
results  of  the  success  which  she  has  achieved. 

“The  conspirators  against  the  Congo  Administration  have  shown 
clearly  that  these  are  the  unworthy  and  disreputable  motives  inspir¬ 
ing  the  many  attacks  that  have  been  made,  and  so  many  of  which 
have  been  amply  discredited.” 


23 


% 


VIEWS  OF  TRAVELERS,  EXPLORERS  AND 

OTHERS. 


LADY  STANLEY. 

Lady  Stanley : 

“Sir  Henry  Stanley  believed  there  was  gross  and  malicious  exag¬ 
geration  of  so-called  atrocities  in  the  Congo  Free  State.  He  believed 
that  many  of  the  stories  belonged  to  the  past  and  were  served  up 
again  and  again  ;  that  many  regrettable  incidents  and  acts  of  cruelty 
were  inevitable  in  so  great  a  territory  peopled  by  uncivilized  natives ; 
that  evildoers  are  being  brought  to  justice  and  punished.  Sir  Henry 
moreover  was  convinced  that  there  was  a  deep  plot  against  the 
Congo  Free  State.” 

5jC  ^  'k  'K  ^  ^ 

“Sir  Henry  thought  grand  work  had  been  done  by  Belgians  on 
the  Congo.” — ( Letter  to  Monsieur  Harry,  May  2,  1905.) 


ROBERT  WILLIAMS,  ESQ. 

Robert  Williams,  Esq.,  of  the  Tanganyika  Concessions,  Limited, 
who  has  had  a  long  experience  in  Africa,  in  the  Congo,  as  well  as 
in  British  and  Portuguese  possessions — statement  of  conditions  in 
the  southeastern  district  of  the  Congo : 

“To  the  Editor  of  The  Times: 

“Sir :  My  attention  has  been  called  today  to  the  report  in  your 
issue  of  The  Times  of  the  4th  inst.  of  Sir  Charles  Dilke's  speech  on 
Congo  affairs,  delivered  in  the  House  of  Commons,  and  I  hasten 
to  refute  his  statement  that  the  mines  of  Katanga  are  worked  bv 
slave  labor. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  * 

“The  Congo  State  officials  have  carried  out  a  native  policy  in 
Kantanga  which  has,  according  to  the  competent  opinions  of  Messrs. 
Grey  and  Holland,  been  very  fair  to  the  natives  themselves. 

“It  is  no  easy  matter  to  change  the  habits  of  a  country  from 
slavery  and  cannibalism  and  to  convert  natives  from  rule  by  a  system 
of  mutilation  to  habits  of  peaceful  industry,  and  I  consider  it  says 
a  great  deal  for  the  work  of  the  Congo  State  officials  in  Katanga 
when  it  is  considered  that  they  have  practically  abolished  slavery 
and  cannibalism  from  a  district  about  which  the  late  Dr.  Livingstone 
wrote : 

“  “Slavery  is  so  bad  and  the  sights  I  have  to  witness  so  terrible, 
and  I  feel  so  helpless  to  prevent  it,  that  I  could  not  go  on  with  my 


24 


work  were  I  not  buoyed  up  with  the  hope  that  my  work  may  lead 
others  to  follow  in  my  footsteps  and  accomplish  what  I  am  power¬ 
less  to  do.’ 

“The  work  now  being-  done  by  our  splendid  staff  of  men  in  Central 
Africa,  in  developing  the  resources  of  that  country  and  in  building 
a  railway  to  connect  it  along  the,  at  one  time,  great  slave  route  to 
Benguella,  with  the  friendly  cooperation  of  Belgians  and  Portuguese 
alike,  is,  in  my  opinion,  going  a  long  way  to  fulfil  the  hopes  of 
the  late  Dr.  Livingstone. 

“Yours  faithfully, 

“ROBERT  WILLIAMS, 

“Managing  Director, 

“Tanganyika  Concessions  (Ltd.)” 


LORD  MOUNTMORRES. 

Lord  Mountmorres  on  conditions  which  he  found  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  Congo  : 

“I  can  imagine  no  testimony  to  the  efficiency  and  the  benefit  of 
State  rule  stronger  than  the  scenes  one  witnesses  almost  every  day 
in  the  Ubangi  province.  For  here  we  see  its  effect,  not  in  bringing 
a  feeble  people  into  quiet  subjection,  but  in  converting  a  stalwart, 
warlike,  independent  race  of  savage  cannibals  into  a  loyal,  contented, 
and  industrious  population.  Only  a  few  years  ago  this  people  was 
one  of  the  most  lawless  barriers  in  the  way  of  white  civilization  to 
be  encountered  in  the  whole  of  Africa,  and  even  today  the  tradition 
of  their  cruel  savagery  is  so  widespread  that  you  will  find  that  the 
majority  of  the  very  functionaries  of  the  State  themselves,  who  are 
unacquainted  by  actual  experience  with  the  work  which  is  being 
done  in  the  Ubangi  province,  think  of  the  Banza,  the  Ubangi  and 
the  Banziri  tribes  as  being  still  the  most  formidable  and  untameable 
cannibals.  Yet  nowadays  the  visitor  to  this  part  of  Africa  can  travel 
almost  anywhere  in  perfect  security,  alone  and  unarmed,  on  the 
State  side  of  the  river.  He  will  see  in  the  villages  a  population 
which  is  neither  cringing  on  the  one  hand  nor  hostile  on  the  other,  a 
population  whose  virile  energy  has  been  diverted  from  its  old-time 
occupation  of  war  and  robbery  to  the  peaceful  industries  of  forging, 
smelting,  agriculture,  and  textile  handicrafts,  such  as  the  making 
and  dyeing  of  native  cloth,  of  nets,  rope,  string,  and  the  elaborate 
and  ingenious  contrivances  used  by  natives  in  the  chase.” — ( London 
“Globe,”  March  9,  1905.) 


25 


MR.  MARCUS  R.  P.  DORMAN. 

Mr.  Marcus  R.  P.  Dorman — cases  of  ill-treatment  in  the  past — 
exaggerated  stories  in  newspapers — system  of  government  sound 
and  suited  to  the  country : 

“The  older  residents  in  the  Congo  admit  that  there  have  been 
cases  if  ill-treatment  of  natives  in  the  past,  but  I  am  satisfied  that  the 
reports  which  have  appeared  lately  in  European  newspapers  create 
an  entirely  erroneous  impression  of  the  condition  of  the  country 
today.  The  chief  officials  are  undoubtedly  anxious  to  prevent  any 
one  treating  the  natives  badly,  and  any  one  doing  so  is  severely 
punished.  .  .  . 

“The  system  of  Government,  although  novel,  is  undoubtedly  sound 
and  suited  to  the  country.” — ( Letter  dated  Coquilhatville,  Congo 
Free  State ,  August  io,  1904,  to  London  “Times.”) 


COLONEL  JAMES  J.  HARRISON. 

Colonel  James  J.  Harrison  reports  (1905)  that  natives  prefer  the 
Government  of  the  Congo  to  that  of  Uganda : 

“We  know  how  often  it  has  been  stated  that  the  native  tribes 
dwelling  on  the  Congo  side  of  the  Nile  all  fled  across  the  river  some 
years  ago  and  built  their  villages  in  Uganda,  the  reasons  given 
being  the  cruelty  and  oppression  of  the  Belgian  officials.  Traveling 
south  from  Redjaf  to  Mahagi  I  was  astonished  to  find  no  end  of 
new  villages  being  built  and  all  by  natives  who  formerly  had  run 
over  to  Uganda,  but  were  now  returning.  Passing  Kadge  Kadge  I 
met  a  powerful  chief  called  Tokwe  busily  employed  erecting  kraals, 
saying  all  his  tribe  were  disgusted  with  Uganda  Government  and 
were  coming  back. 

“When  questioning  all  these  people  one  always  got  the  same  reply. 
AVe  have  tried  both  Governments  and  like  the  Belgian  one  best,  so 
have  returned.’  — ( Letters  to  London  “Morning  Post.”) 


SIR  ALBERT  ROLLIT,  M.  P. 

Sir  Albert  Rollit,  M.  P.,  speech  at  Liege,  September  5,  1905  : 

“I  wish  to  tell  you  how  much  I  esteem  the  enlightened  Sovereign 
who  desires  Belgium  to  create  outlets  for  herself  by  colonization, 
and  who  has  done  all  that  is  humanely  possible  for  a  chief  of  the 
State  to  do.  I  well  know  that  it  has  been  said  that  the  Congo  is  the 
scene  of  atrocities. 


26 


“I  assure  you  that  the  larger  proportion  of  the  British  nation 
consider  these  reports  a  calumny  and  that  many  Englishmen,  of 
whom  I  am  proud  to  be  one,  know  from  trustworthy  reports  that 
if  there  have  been  abuses,  everything  has  been  done  to  remedy  them, 
and  that  honor,  I  may  say,  is  safe. 

“There  are  always  difficulties  at  the  beginning  of  the  work  of 
colonization.  We  had  the  most  evident  proof  of  this  in  Australia, 
but  I  regard  as  sincere  the  accounts  of  the  travels  of  certain  of  my 
compatriots,  who  have  stated  in  a  most  emphatic  manner  that  the 
abuses  have  been  repressed  and  that  no  atrocity  is  now  committed 
in  the  Congo.” 


MR.  JAMES  PIRIE. 

Mr.  James  Pirie,  agent  of  the  English  Company  “Tanganyika 
Concessions,  Limited,”  writes  of  his  experiences  in  the  Katanga 
District : 

“I  have  been  reading  again  those  extracts  from  various  papers 
calling  attention  to  the  Slavery  (?)  in  this  country.  What  a  pity  it 
is  that  those  who  so  loudly  denounce  this  Government  should  not 
pay  a  visit  to  the  country  and  see  things  for  themselves,  as  they 
really  are.  It  is  impossible  to  imagine  a  happier  race  of  people  than 
these  are  whom  I  have  seen  since  coming  under  the  ‘Lone  Star’ 
again. 

*  *  ^  *  sjc 

“Having  asked  Mwenda  what  taxes  his  people  pay  to  Government 
he  says  that  his  people  pay  no  taxes  at  all,  but  that  he  supplies  the 
Lukafu  station  with  sixty  baskets  of  meal  per  month,  besides  all 
the  ground  nuts,  pumpkins,  sweet  potatoes,  beans,  etc.,  they  require, 
for  which  he  receives  an  annual  payment,  the  householders  of  his 
village  and  the  younger  men  also  receiving  payment  through  him. 

“He  denies  that  any  one  of  his  people  have  ever  been  forcibly 
removed  from  the  village  to  work  since  the  occupation  of  the 
country  by  the  Belgians  and  states  that  sixty  baskets  of  meal  per 
month  is  nothing  to  them  considering  the  quantity  they  raise,  and 
that  it  is  in  consideration  of  his  being  able  to  regularly  supply  this 
amount  that  he  and  his  people  are  exempt  from  any  farther  taxation. 

*  *  *  *  *  >i=  * 

“I  have  just  been  reading  the  home  newspapers  on  Katanga,  and 
comparing  the  actual  state  of  things  with  what  is  written  there,  I 
cannot  understand  what  it  advantages  any  man  to  make  such  a  gross 
misstatement  of  facts.  I  have  no  wish  to  get  into  controversy  with 
anyone,  but  I  have  not  the  slightest  hesitation  in  telling  you  that 
those  who  wrote  the  stories  I  read  are  liars  and  every  word  of  their 
damnatory  utterances  on  the  condition  of  the  natives  here,  and  their 
treatment  by  the  Belgian  Government  are  malicious  lies.” 


I 


27 


EDOUARD  FOA. 

Edouard  Foa,  the  well-known  French  traveler: 

“The  Congo  State  is  the  finest  colonizing  work  that  exists  in 
Africa.” 


MUTILATIONS. 


Maimed  natives  found  everywhere  in  Africa — not  specially  fre¬ 
quent  in  the  Congo — cutting  off  hands  an  ancient  custom — some¬ 
times  done  to  secure  a  trophy  from  dead  enemy — like  Indian  custom 
of  scalping — white  men  not  responsible  for  such  acts. 


Cutting  Off  Hands  a  Native  Custom. 

“Again.  Dr.  Guinness  has  exhibited  all  over  the  country  photo¬ 
graphs  of  living  native  victims  with  their  hands  cut  ofif,  a  custom 
he  and  other  missionaries  swear  to  ‘as  not  being  a  native  custom, 
but  one  introduced  by  civilization.’  Why,  I  ask,  do  they  not  explain 
how  this  same  custom  comes  to  be  practiced  in  Khartum,  the  Sudan, 
and  Uganda? 

“Nor  has  any  answer  been  given  to  my  suggestion  that  the  natives 
looked  on  Consul  Casement  as  a  protege  of  the  missions ;  there  is, 
no  doubt,  the  Consul's  former  connection  with  a  Congo  mission — 
his  being  obliged  to  conduct  much  of  the  inquiry  from  a  mission 
steamer,  besides  being  accompanied  at  times  by  missionaries.  These 
facts  alone  were  bound  to  weigh  with  the  native  mind,  however 
impartial  our  Consul  (whose  own  honesty  and  integrity  of  purpose 
to  get  at  the  truth  I  have  never  doubted)  might  try  to  make  it.” — 
{Letter  from  Col.  James  J.  Harrison,  London  “Times,”  October  i, 
1904.) 


Mutilations  Occur  All  Over  Africa. 

“With  regard  to  the  mutilations  in  the  Congo,  described  by  Mr. 
Casement,  I  may  tell  you  that  only  last  year  in  Uganda  I  saw  similar 
mutilations,  which,  it  is  well  known,  were  done  by  the  natives  in 
Uganda,  notably  on  King  Mtesa’s  day.  In  walking  through  Toro 
and  Unyoro,  I  have  seen  men  without  noses,  ears,  and,  frequently, 
without  hands.” — Dr.  Christy  of  the  Liverpool  School  of  Tropical 
Medicine  {Interview  in  Liverpool  “Echo,”  June  23,  1904). 


28 


Maimed  Natives  Rarely  Found  in  Congo — Only  Two 
Discovered  in  4,000-MiLE  Voyage. 

“During  the  ascent  of  the  entire  length  of  the  Ubangi  River,  the 
descent  of  the  Congo  from  Stanley  Falls  to  Boma,  and  the  march 
across  Uele  I  demanded  at  the  mission  stations  to  see  the  originals 
of  the  photographs  of  atrocities  so  common  in  Europe,  but  they  were 
not  forthcoming.  The  famous  boy  Epondo  is,  however,  always  on 
view,  for  he  is  employed  as  a  gardener  by  the  Commissaire  at 
Cocjuilhatville,  so  that  he  can  be  produced  at  a  moment’s  notice  for 
the  inspection  of  curious  visitors. 

“One  other  boy  without  a  hand  was  shown  to  me  at  Ikoko  on  Lake 
Tumba.  It  was  supposed  to  have  been  cut  off  by  a  State  soldier 
nine  or  ten  years  ago,  but  there  is  no  proof  of  this.  These  are  the 
only  cases  which  could  he  found  for  me  during  a  tour  of  about  four 
thousand  miles  in  the  interior.” — ( Marcus  R.  P.  Dorman  in  letter  to 
London  “Morning  Post  ”  February  16,  1905.) 

Note. — Epondo  referred  to  by  Mr.  Dorman  is  the  boy  whom  the  British 
Consul,  relying  on  native  evidence,  reported  as  maimed  by  a  native  sentry,  but 
who  was  afterwards  shown  to  have  lost  his  hand  in  a  boar  hunt — one  of  the 
many  cases  in  which  the  accusations  against  the  Congo  Government  have  been 
shown  to  be  groundless. 


Such  Mutilations  as  Exist  Attributable  to  Ancient  Native 

Customs. 

“It  is  needless  to  enter  fully  into  the  state  of  the  country  before 
civilization  was  attempted,  when  all  the  tribes  were  at  war  with 
one  another,  when  the  strongest  Chief  conquered  the  smaller  tribes 
and  murdered  and  made  slaves  of  them. 

“In  Bangala  you  can  still  see  the  traces  of  the  former  acts  of 
barbarism :  children  with  a  mass  of  cuts  all  over  their  bodies,  with 
various  members  mutilated  and  such  like,  and  as  regards  the  hand 
cutting  which  Dr.  Guinness  wished  to  particularly  put  forward,  I 
will  give  you  an  actual  illustration  of  this,  which  is  not  an  exception 
but  one  of  many  such  cases,  and  a  custom  which  was  usual  in  this 
part  of  the  world. 

“Near  Dungu  a  Sultan  called  Renzi  had  three  or  four  sons,  one  of 
whom  I  saw  myself,  by  .name  Monoko  Pamba,  and  this  one  not  only 
had  his  hands  cut  off,  hut  also  his  feet,  ears,  and  lips,  and  from  his 
own  brother  I  heard  the  story.  This  was  to  the  effect  that  his  own 
father  had  ordered  him  to  cut  off  all  the  members  of  his  brother's 
body  owing  to  a  certain  interference  in  his  Father's  harem  which 
consisted  of  over  200  females.  It  used  also  to  be  the  custom  when  a 
great  Chief  died  to  bury  his  slaves  with  him,  after  which  others 


29 


were  killed  and  eaten  to  show  respect  to  the  dead  Chief.  I  now 
.ask  who  is  responsible  for  the  changing  of  such  acts  but  the 
Belgian  colonists  who  have  at  the  cost  of  many  lives  brought  peace 
amongst  the  various  tribes,  and  by  degrees  made  such  acts  of  bar¬ 
barism  a  thing  of  the  past.” — (Mr.  T.  Beaumont,  who  lived  two 
years  in  the  Congo  State.  Letter  in  “Standard,”  October  30,  1904.) 


No  Such  Mutilations  Ever  Inflicted,  Directly  or  Indirectly, 

by  a  White  Man. 

“From  the  mass  of  statements,  testimony  and  information  gathered 
by  the  Commission  it  appears  that  the  mutilation  of  dead  bodies  is 
an  ancient  custom  which  does  not  have  in  the  eyes  of  the  native  the 
horrible  character  which  it  does  in  ours.  The  cutting  off  of  certain 
parts  of  a  dead  body  fulfils  the  natives  desire  to  procure  a  trophy 
or  simply  a  piece  of  evidence.  The  mutilation  of  fallen  enemies 
frequently  occurred  in  the  wars  between  natives  in  certain 
regions. 

“One  point  is  beyond  doubt  ;  a  white  man  has  never  inflicted  such 
mutilations,  nor  caused  such  mutilations  to  be  inflicted,  upon  living 
natives  as  a  punishment  for  failure  to  bring  in  taxes  nor  for  any 
other  cause.  Deeds  of  such  a  kind  have  never  been  stated  to  us  by 
a  single  witness,  and  in  spite  of  all  our  investigations,  we  have  never 
"been  able  to  discover  such  a  case.” — ( Report  of  the  Commission  of 
Inquiry.) 


BELGIAN  PUBLIC  OPINION. 


MONSIEUR  WOESTE,  MEMBER  OF  PARLIAMENT. 

Monsieur  Woeste,  Member  of  Parliament : 

“I  have  not  denied,  and  I  do  not  deny,  that  reforms  are  useful  in 
the  Congo  State,  that  they  be  even  necessary.  Neither  have  I  denied, 
nor  do  I  deny,  that  regrettable  incidents  have  occurred  out  there, 
although  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  it  could  be  otherwise.  But, 
taking  the  enterprise  as  a  whole,  it  must  be  admitted  that  it  deserves 
praise  and  encouragement,  not  blame  and  criticism.  .  .  .  The 

work  of  the  Congo  will  remain,  I  am  convinced,  in  all  impartial 
■eyes,  a  grand  and  fine  enterprise.  Such  also  will  be  the  judgment 
of  posterity.  Whatever  may  be  done,  whatever  may  be  said,  it  will 
be  to  the  honor  of  King  Leopold  II,  as  it  will  be  to  the  honor  also 
of  all  those  in  Belgium  who,  considering  only  the  moral  and  material 
interests  of  the  native  population,  have  devoted  themselves  to  those 


30 


interests,  following  the  King,  and  have  refused  to  allow  themselves 
to  be  turned  aside  bv  critics.” 


COUNT  DE  SMET  DE  NAEYER. 

Count  de  Smet  de  Naeyer : 

‘‘After  the  incontestable  proof  which  the  Congo  Government  has 
given  of  its  wisdom,  its  foresight  and  its  perseverance  in  the  working 
of  its  internal  organization,  to  deny  to  it  the  intention,  will  and 
energy  to  bring  about  reforms  which  may  be  necessary  is  to  inflict 
upon  it  an  outrage  against  which  reason  and  justice  protest.” 


MONSIEUR  NERINCX,  VICE-PRESIDENT  OF  THE  BEL¬ 
GIAN  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES. 

Monsieur  Nerincx,  Vice-President  of  the  Belgian  House  of 
Representatives,  in  speaking  of  Vandervelde's  attacks  upon  the 
Congo  Government : 

‘‘I  do  not  in  the  least  agree  with  Mr.  Vandervelde,  and  I  do  not 
think  that  the  large  majority  of  the  Belgian  people  and  Belgian 
Parliament  agree  with  him.  King  Leopold  has  accomplished  a  great 
work  for  civilization  in  the  Congo.” 


BARON  WAHIS. 

Baron  Wahis,  on  the  Socialist  attacks : 

"It  would  be  a  grave  mistake  to  take  a  few  discordant  voices  as 
the  expression  of  the  general  opinion.  The  cause  is  well  known  in 
Belgium,  which  makes  this  insignificant  minority  speak  in  a  hostile 
sense  of  the  Congo  Government.” 


MONSIEUR  HENRY  CARTON  DE  WIART,  MEMBER  OF 
THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES. 

Monsieur  Henry  Carton  de  Wiart,  Member  of  the  House  of 
Representatives : 

"The  Belgian  Socialistic  Party  has  always  been  anti-Colonial,  and 
is  against  everything  the  King  undertakes.  The  Socialists  have 
taken  up  the  anti-Congo  campaign  for  political  purposes,  but  in 
Belgium  the  public,  including  all  classes  of  society,  knows  what  to 
think  about  these  Socialistic  attacks.  The  majority  of  the  Belgium 
people  are  with  the  King  and  are  devoted  to  his  Colonial  work.” 


. 

-  *  •  I 


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